No sooner had he spoken than a figure swiftly appeared from somewhere. It was the mercenary captain Amy had carefully chosen. Amy had grown accustomed to his ghost-like appearances, but Noah still narrowed his eyes in caution.
“I’ve scouted the area while coming here as instructed, but I didn’t see any traps or hidden soldiers. It seems you don’t need to worry too much.”
Amy was surprised and looked at Noah. When had he given such an order? His uncharacteristically cautious demeanor for his age was reassuring. The burden of having to do everything alone felt lighter.
Noah tilted his head and whispered to Amy,
“I don’t fully trust this guy, but if Amy trusts him…”
Amy smiled and nodded. The empire’s most expensive mercenary was proving his worth. Although their relationship was bound by money, Amy trusted him because…
‘He sacrificed his life to protect his contractees in a previous life.’
It was a tale almost like a fairy tale. A young sibling duo, whose parents were murdered and who were threatened by their uncle for their inheritance, had hired these mercenaries to safely reach their grandparents.
The mercenaries, honoring their contract, refused the uncle’s lucrative offer to betray them and protected the siblings, even at the cost of their own lives. It was a sensational incident that even reached Amy in prison.
“Understood. Continue with your good work.”
After the mercenary captain bowed and vanished as suddenly as he appeared, Amy bid good night to Noah and headed to her own chamber. Before going to bed, she pondered their plans. The primary goal was to arrive safely in the north.
‘I wonder if the smaller goals will succeed.’
It was frustrating to be diverted here when they were in a hurry. Just as she grumbled to herself, a rumbling noise came from her stomach.
“Ah…”
She hadn’t filled her stomach well at the inn because she was preoccupied with Captain Vernon. Biting her lip, Amy got up and headed to the corridor, intending to sneak into the kitchen to find something to eat.
‘It should be this way…’
The location of the kitchen in a mansion or castle was predictable. As she approached what she thought was the kitchen, light seeped from under the door.
‘Someone’s still awake at this hour…’
It would be troublesome if rumors spread that the Duke starved his followers. Just as she regretted not being able to eat and clutched her hungry stomach, a faint voice called from behind.
“Ah? A guest?”
Turning around, she saw the young maid who had been whipped by the baroness during the banquet. The child’s face was still red from the whip, yet she looked delighted to see Amy.
“What brings you here at this hour… Ah!”
As if realizing something, she timidly muttered,
“You couldn’t eat because of me.”
“I just felt a bit hungry, that’s all.”
At Amy’s indifferent reply, the maid scratched her head sheepishly. Then, embarrassingly, Amy’s stomach growled again. She felt her cheeks warm slightly.
“Would you like some of this?”
The girl spoke kindly, pulling out brown bread and a small jar from the cloth she was carrying. Amy looked at them wordlessly. It seemed like something the girl was taking home, and she wasn’t sure if it was alright to eat it.
Sensing Amy’s hesitation, the girl quickly added,
“It’s commoner food, but there’s plenty left since the banquet ended early. If it’s okay with you…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Amy cut her off sharply. Since her return, she had been eating to fill her stomach rather than for taste. The girl seemed relieved and smiled faintly, apparently regarding Amy as the benefactor who had saved her from the baroness’s whip. Well, good is good.
Upon entering the kitchen, the maid quickly pulled up a chair for Amy at the counter. She swiftly cut the bread, scooped oatmeal porridge into a bowl, and added some fruit preserves from the jar. She even brought honey and apple juice from the cupboard. In no time, a simple meal was prepared.
“I’ll gratefully eat it then.”
Amy tore a piece of bread and began chewing. The maid sat opposite her, gazing at her with sparkling eyes. Feeling almost choked by the intense scrutiny, Amy reluctantly initiated a conversation.
“What happened during the banquet?”
The baroness had reason to be angry. Not only was the food quality poor, but the order in which it was served was a total mess. Such things should not happen in a well-run manor.
“That’s because… the head cook has been absent for a while now.”
“I see.”
That explained it. In high-ranking families, a steward or in lesser noble families, a head cook assists the lady of the house in managing household affairs.
Judging from the baroness’s inept appearance, the now-absent head cook probably handled everything. Hence, the chaos as soon as the position became vacant.
‘The prince’s manor must be similar by now.’
Amy couldn’t help but snicker internally while chewing on goat cheese. She had worked three to four times harder than any other steward. With her gone, the manor must be in disarray.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
